Car coupler



April 17, 1934. D. T. GRANBERY CAR COUPLER Filed Oct. 17, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet l 1 s ll ihTaZllHH' 1v zwzg y ATTORNEY April 17, 1934. T GRANBERY 1,954,810

CAR COUPLER Filed Oct. 17, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 17, 1934 Ni'iE star 1,954,810 OAR COUPLER Dec '1. Granbery,

Memphis, Tenn.

administrator,

Application October 17, 1932, Serial No. 638,247 4 Claims. (Cl. 213-116) This invention relates to car couplers of the Janney type and has for its object to effect locking of the movable knuckle of the coupler in a simple and efficient manner and it is also proposed to effect automatic setting of the pivotal knuckle in position to properly engage a companion knuckle when two couplers are brought together should either or both of the knuckles be in locked position.

With this and other objects in view, this invention consists in certain novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

For a complete understanding of the invention, reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a top plan view illustrating car couplers constructed in accordance with my invention and showing the couplers locked together.

Figure 2 is a sectional view illustrating car couplers prior to being coupled.

Figure 3 is a detail sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a sectional view showing the couplers or the knuckles thereof automatically positioned to be engaged and interlocked with each other when said couplers are brought into coupling position. 7

Figure 5 is a plan view partly. in section showing the couplers in fully locked position.

Figure 6 is a similar view showing one of the couplers manually actuated to permit uncoupling of the couplers when said couplers move apart.

Figure 7 is an end elevation illustrating one of the couplers.

Figure 8 is a fragmentary plan view illustrating the locking element for the pivoted knuckle of the coupler.

Figure 9 is a fragmentary sectional view of an operating lever, viewed from the front.

Figure 10 is a perspective view illustrating the same. 7

Figure 11 is a detail horizontal sectional view illustrating an ejector operating in conjunction with locking dogs. viewed from the underside.

Figure 12 is an edge elevation of a locking dog.

Figure 13 is a bottom plan View illustrating the same with a tension spring associated therewith.

Figure 14 is a fragmentary detail elevational 'view showing one end of the locking dog.

Referring in detail to the drawings, the ref erence characters A and B indicate companion couplers for connecting cars or rolling stock to- 55 gether and as the couplers are identical in construction, reference specifically to one is thought sufficient. The coupler is of the Janney type and includes a hollow body 1 formed integrally with the car attaching shank 2 and the front thereof is cut away as shown at 3 to provide spaced extensions 4 and 5. The extension 5 has pivoted thereto a knuckle 6 provided with a heel portion '7 receivable within the body 1. The heel portion 7 is provided with a shoulder 8 and an ejector engaging face 9. A locking dog 10 is pivoted in the body as shown at 11 and is provided with a locking shoulder 12 adjacent the free end thereof to engage the shoulder 8 of the heel 7 to hold the knuckle 6 in lockingor coupling position. Spaced arms 13 are formed in- .1 tegrally with the free end of the dog 10 and extend at right angles thereto and are connected by a pin 14. The pivoted end of the dog. 10 carries a spring element 15 which bears against one end of a pivotaliy mounted ejector 16, the opposite end of which engages the face 9 of the heel '7 of the knuckle 6. The ejector is of substantially arcuate shape and pivotally mounted intermediate its ends as shown at 1'7.

A lever 18 is mounted for pivotal and sliding so movement within the body 1 by having a slot 19 receiving a pin 20 carried by the body, and the lever extends between the spaced arms 13 of the dog 10 and is provided with a hook shaped portion 21 for operation in conjunction with the 35 pin 1%. A coiled spring 22 is secured to the lever and to the pivot pin 20 for the purpose of supporting said lever in a yieldable slidable position. The free end of the lever is provided with forked shaped elements 23 fitting within a groove formed in a collar 24 and the latter is slidably mounted on an operating or bumper rod 25. The rod 25 is slidably mounted in thebody 1 at one side thereof and its forward-end carries a disk. or. head 26 while its opposite end extends through a'sleeve 27 carried by the body and has slidable relation with the sleeve. A stop collar 28 is secured to the rear end of the rod and normally abuts the end of the sleeve to limit the forward motion of the rod. Coiled springs 29 and 30 are mounted on the rod 25 and bear against opposite faces of the collar 24 to yieldably support the collar on the rod. The outer end of the spring 29 bears against the plate or head 26 and the outer end of the spring 30 seats against the closed end of the sleeve 2'].

A bumper rod 30 is slidably mounted at the opposite side of the body 1 from the rod 25 and carries a head or plate 31 at its forward end and a stop collar 32 at its rear end normally held in abutting engagement with the outer face of the body by an expansion spring 33 of the coiled type mounted on the rod 30 between the head or plate 31 and the rear wall of the body.

The pivot 11 of the dog 10 is in the form of a shaft secured to the dog and journalled in the top and bottom walls of the body 1 and projects beyond the top wall and has secured thereto an operating lever 34. The operating lever projects laterally of the body so that a grasp the free end of the same while standing a considerable distance from the bumper.

The knuckle 6 at its pivotal portion is provided with a shoulder 35 adapted to engage a stop 36 on the extension 5 when said knuckle is in its pivoting beyond a position as shown in Figure 4 and obviates the possibility of the knuckles of the couplers A and B not properly engaging or interfitting with each other when brought together.

The couplers A and 13 prior to being coupled together are shown in Figure 2 with their various parts in their normal positions and with the knuckles 6 in locked position, that is, the dogs 10 positioned so that their shoulders 12 engage the shoulders 8 of the knuckles 6 preventing the latter from pivoting into uncoupled position.

swings the dogs 10 on their pivots disengaging the shoulders 12 thereof from the shoulders 8 of the knuckles. The pivotal movement of the dogs increases the tension of the spring elements 15 rocking the ejectors on their in turn swing the knuckles 6 into uncoupled position as shown in Figure 4 so that on the couplers A andB moving further toward each other, the knuckles interlock and swing into coupling position as shown in Figure 5. When the couplers reach their full coupled position as shown in Figure 5, the rods 25 have been imparted fur-.

thersliding movement and imparted further pivotal movement to the. levers 18 and the projections thereof ride over the pins 14 allowing the pivotal dogs 10, under the influence of the tension members 15, to swing into with their shoulders 12 in abutting engagement with the shoulders 8 thereby securing the knuckles in locked or coupling position and pre-' venting the couplers A and B fromzseparating when the cars or rolling stock to which they are applied are started in motion.

pivots and they locking position- When it is desired to uncouple the couplers, a person swings the lever 34 of one of the couplers in the direction indicated by the arrow in Figure 6, disengaging the dog 10 of the respective coupler from the knuckle and the freeing of the knuckle will permit the couplers to separate.

While the preferred embodiment of the invention has been shown and described, it will be undertood that minor changes in construction, combination and arrangement of parts may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, as claimed.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

1. In a coupler, a head, an opening and closing knuckle carried thereby, a movable bumper on the head, latching means releasably locking the knuckle closed, means whereby the latching means will be released upon impact on the bumper, and an ejector means co-acting with the latching means to automatically open the knuckle on the latters release.

2. In a coupler, a head, an opening and closing knuckle carried-thereby, a movable bumper on the head, latching means releasably locking the knuckle closed, means whereby impact upon the bumper will eifect a release of the latching means, an ejector means coacting with the latching means to automatically open the knuckle on release of the latching means, and manually operable means exteriorly of the coupler for said latching means to free the knuckle.

3. In a coupler, a head, an opening and closing knuckle carried thereby, a movable bumper on the headga shoulder on the knuckle, a pivoted dog in the head to engage the shoulder for releasably locking the knuckle closed, and a manually operable means carried by the head for actuating the dog to free the knuckle.

4. In a coupler, a head, an opening and closing knuckle carried thereby and having a notch, a movable bumper on the head, a pivoted dog in the head to engage the notch for releasably looking the knuckle closed, a lever pivotallymounted in the head and loosely connected with the bumper and also loosely connected with said dog for disengaging :the dog from the notch on anim' pact: upon "the bumper, an ejector pivotally.

mounted in the head and engaging the knuckla;

a tension means carried by the dog and engageable with the ejectorfor causing the latter to open'the knuckle on disengaging of the dog from the notch, and a manually operable lever connected with the dog for disengaging the latter from the notch to free the knuckle.

'JAMES T. FRANKLIN, Administrator of the Estate of Dec T. Grcmbery,

Deceased. 

